04/23/2026
We were all taught this growing up.....but it's no longer the way we like to educate especially children. Dogs have an amazing sense of smell. They can smell a female dog in heat, miles away. So teaching children to stick their hand out to a strange dog really isn't necessary and can actually have the reverse effects on the dog. Some dogs have been punished by being hit by a human. So when they see you sticking your hand out they may cower or get defensive because they remember the hand causing them pain. They have smelled your scent before they ever got close to you so the extra 12 inches of your hand extending out isn't going to make a difference. Instead we want to teach people especially children to stand still, like a tree and ignore the dog, no attention, no eye contact. Let them check you out first. If they want you to interact with them they will let you know. But also if they walk away.....LET THEM!! Not every dog wants to meet new people. Let's give them that respect and normalize dogs being allowed to be DOGS 🐾
